Skybound steps in to save Telltale's The Walking Dead

Skybound Games has announced a deal with Telltale Games, which appears to be going through the slow process of closure following serious financial difficulties, to finish The Walking Dead: The Final Season, after its development was halted two episodes in.

The first public hint that Telltale Games was in serious trouble came late last month when the company laid off the vast majority of its staff without severance pay, going from 250 people to a skeleton crew of just 25 - a number which shrank still further earlier this month. As part of its latest lay-offs, which exceed even its painful shrinking from 400 staff at its peak to 250, the company confirmed it was cancelling both planned and in-progress development projects - including, to fans' dismay, the latest and final series of its zombie-comic tie-in title The Walking Dead.

Now, those who had already paid for the full series - which has since been removed from sale - have hope: Skybound Games, founded by creator of the original comic book Robert Kirkman, has announced a deal with Telltale to finish development of The Walking Dead, bringing the episodic story series to a fitting close.

'We’re SO happy to announce that we’ve reached a deal with @telltalegames that will allow Skybound to continue #TheWalkingDead: The Final Season,' the company announced via its Twitter account. 'Let’s wrap up Clem’s story right! More details to come soon.'

Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, but it is believed to include at least some of the series' original development, writing, and voice-acting team. Neither company has indicated when future episodes may be released, however, nor when the series will go back up for general sale.